ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 28, 1997 TAG: 9703280080
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE THE ROANOKE TIMES
Details of the government's case against Abed Abdeljalil and other reputed members of what authorities call a "crime family" operating in Roanoke continue to trickle out in bond hearings.
Despite testimony by his boss and his real estate agent that they trust him enough to put up their own property, the Northern Virginia Abed brother accused of running an "organized crime family" in Roanoke will not be released on bond, at least for now.
U.S. District Judge Samuel Wilson said he was concerned about the possibility that the man indicted under the name Abed Abdeljalil might use aliases. Even federal prosecutors acknowledge they're not sure what his real name is.
Official records, deeds and government documents show at least eight names by which he is known, although most are a variation on Abed Jalil Jamil. His attorney, John Lichtenstein, argued that many of the "aliases" resulted from confusion about his Arabic name by Americans. Prosecutors argued that most of the names were written on documents by the defendant himself.
Abdeljalil is the brother of Joseph Abbott, a Roanoke businessman who ran the Valley View Pancake House restaurants for years as well as several convenience stores. The brothers are accused in a federal indictment of leading a criminal enterprise that involved arson, the murder of witnesses, extortion, and drug dealing.
Wilson said he will give Lichtenstein an opportunity to come back before the court to explain his client's many names and try again to get bond.
The judge also wanted to know why a $170,000 piece of property Abdeljalil owns in Loudoun County was not on a list of assets submitted to a probation officer.
"It speaks volumes about credibility," Wilson said. And in a case involving such serious charges, "credibility is extremely important."
Abdeljalil's wife angrily left the courtroom after the hearing, loudly complaining about the unfairness of her husband's being left in jail. Three of her sons also are being held without bond in the case. Family members are frustrated that none of the Abeds has been granted release before trial.
A federal agent testified that one of Abdeljalil's sons threatened a witness in an unrelated case last year. Amar Abed allegedly said his father had "hired a hit man" to kill the witness. According to testimony by Tom Gallagher, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the witness's mother was told by Amar: "You know we don't fool around. ... You seen what happened at 13th Street."
Two people who may have seen someone burn down the Corner Store on Jan. 13, 1995, were killed in an apartment fire that same night on 13th Street.
Amar is one of the defendants in the federal case. He, his brother Obayda and their cousin Rayed "Rod" Abed are charged with setting the fire and killing Barbara Hardy and her boyfriend, Michael Todd Thomas.
The ATF alleges that Hardy's apartment was firebombed to prevent the couple from testifying about the arson of the Corner Store. Members of the Abed family are accused of burning the store down because it was competing with a co-defendant's store across the street.
Abdeljalil, 49, came to the United States from Jordan in 1967 and is an American citizen, Lichtenstein said. He is a maintenance supervisor for the Fairfax County Courthouse, where he has worked for 23 years. He doesn't have a passport or a criminal record and should not be considered a flight risk, the attorney argued.
In an affidavit, his boss said he has never seen any violence from Abdeljalil and that he is a trusted employee, with master keys to government buildings. He offered to put up his own house for Abdeljalil's bond.
Abdeljalil is charged with racketeering, including trying to burn down Central Motors in Salem after its owner bought one of Abdeljalil's properties at a foreclosure sale. He also is charged with burning down the Lucky Star convenience store he owned in Roanoke seven years ago to collect the insurance.
He also is charged with conspiracy to sell cocaine and marijuana and is accused of transporting drugs between Roanoke and Northern Virginia.
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